According to an industry yardstick which measures likability factor, ‘Q scores,’ Mr Lauer’s Q score has seen a drastic fall of 25% over the last year. The yardstick which is often closely watched by entities when deciding to allocate their advertising budget has even led to NBC commissioning their own study which has found much the same thing, something that hardly bodes well for Mr Lauer. For their part NBC according to the NY Daily news have been loathe to publicly acknowledge the internal study.

Offers Henry Schafer, a vice president of Q Scores:

‘These morning shows are driven by personalities — so there’s a real challenge out there for NBC News,’

‘At present Mr Lauer’s score is raising a red flag.’

A red flag? That can’t hardly be too good for Mr Lauer who earlier this year re signed with the ‘The Today show’ for an estimated $25 million package. One can only wonder what bosses over at Comcast who own NBC might be thinking and how they might be able to assuage their continual financial hit (it is understood ad sales are now suffering over at NBC prior to their mantle piece the ‘Today show,’ now being overtaken by ABC’s ‘Good Morning America.’)

The report follows a less than stellar piece courtesy on Mr Lauer by the New York Post recently where insiders described Mr Lauer who has been the ‘Today’s show’s’ co anchor since 1997 as a dictatorial ‘anchor animal.’ Hmm, one can only wonder what Ann Curry, Matt Lauer’s until recently co anchor who found herself being metaphorically chopped to pieces and served in a media shredder, courtesy of her pal Matt Lauer, might think about such statements?

For his part Mr Lauer is fully aware that things aren’t looking too good, having publicly reacted to his falling Q score by announcing: ‘Is it only 25%? Because it actually feels much worse.’

Ann Curry and Matt Lauer.

The question that perhaps Mr Lauer and studio heads might now be asking is how much worse can it possibly get and to what degree will it go on to affect already dissipating ad revenues? After all the brutal reality of corporate media is that one can eventually only flourish as long as the corporate ad dollars are there to substantiate one’s position.

According to Nielsen ratings in the 10 weeks before Curry was ousted, Today got 4.94 million viewers, but in the 10 weeks since her ouster there were were just 4.6million.

Sources close to page 6 had even gone so far as to disclose to the outlet that Matt Lauer is now ‘running the show and he’s not listening to anyone,’ causing a ‘huge problem.’

Another source lamented that the staff is overworked in an effort to catch up to GMA’s ratings.

‘Matt’s telling the staff they don’t work hard enough, which is hard to take from a guy working four days a week, making millions,’ the source told Page Six.

And how did Mr Lauer react to the brouhaha? According to page 6 when asked to respond to the comments made about him he had this to say:

‘Please print this story – it’s the most interesting and dangerous I’ve ever sounded!’

Interesting cause I’m willing to bet if things don’t resuscitate the most dangerous and interesting thing Mr Lauer might get to hear is that Comcast is no longer interested in retaining his services, unless of course that’s not a conversation that might already might be taking place behind closed doors?

About

I think the idea to start “Scallywag and Vagabond.” (SCV) originates from my myriad background and the many years I have spent in preferred cafes and brasseries extolling the virtues and subtle intricacies of ‘being’ as the Beaujolais ran, the cigarette wafted and the gentleman to my side pontificated while spraying himself with a deftly tied cravat and sun crested idolatry.’

I grew up in Australia where as a young man one was obliged to become a hero of sorts. A master swimmer, fighter of causes, ideals and disheveled denizen of aesthetics, and more often a carefree ‘larrikin’ who would occasionally poke his sun bronzed nose at authority and convention Read More